I Don't Want to Be Your Canary
by Animic
Summary: What would happen if Zidane pushed himself in front of Blank instead of the opposite? How would Blank adapt to the promise he made to Zidane…that he would take care of everyone.
1. Chapter 1

My love of Final Fantasy IX has been re-kindled! Hope you enjoy this re-telling of the game, through Blank's perspective. You'll find it takes a surprisingly DIFFERENT turn than the original storyline.

* * *

 **That Damn Rat**

* * *

He was so full of crap.

Granted, I'd always told Zidane that his hopeless heroic personality would be the death of him. I never thought it'd come to this, though. I was sure at that point that we were goners, all of us, and that we'd die in that forest. To this day, I don't know how we survived. But we did.

No thanks to that asshole.

I practically helped raise that kid, taught him everything he knows, even vouched for him when Baku said he couldn't feed the kid, and now here he is throwing away everything. Abandoning his crew when they needed him the most. And what are we left with? A couple of thieves and an inadequate orchestra.

God, I hate music.

Now he's gone off to save some stupid damsel in distress. A _princess_.

Whatever.

"He'll come back, kid," Baku said, walking into the entryway after he left. I rolled my eyes.

"And then what?" I mumbled.

Baku only laughed. Sometimes, his laugh could get really annoying. Though I'd never dream of telling him that, of course.

"You really think that little brat could best me?" he said, smiling. I looked at him through the corner of my eye and slowly grew a grin.

That old bastard threw the fight; I should have known. No one escapes Baku's wrath that easily. I remember this one rival thieving group that started to rally up against us when we were just getting started in Treno. That old man had those little bastards on the ground faster than a nobleman writes a credit at the Auction House.

"Part of your master plan, I assume," I suggested.

"Of sorts. I knew he'd go after her. Truth is someone had to."

He wasn't lying. I'm sure Baku was only thinking about the consequences if he returned back to Lindblum empty handed. News of the attack spread pretty thick and I'd imagine that the Regent already has it on good authority that the Tantalus Ship was attacked and run aground in the Evil Forest. If all of us made it out but the Princess, Baku would definitely have some questions to answer.

And Baku never was really that good at being articulate.

"He's gonna get his rat tail handed to him, though, I'll tell ya that. I don't much like the state of this place. Smells funny."

"…sir?" My eyebrows furrowed.

"I need you to go after him. He's carryin' dead weight with that boy and the knight. He thinks he left but he didn't really and I don't leave my own behind. You know that better'n anyone."

Leave no man behind. It was the one thing that led me to this group so many years ago. There was a huge error I made many years ago in Treno that, while we don't ever talk about it, comes up subtly in conversation. While it's not my proudest moment, it was the milestone between our relationship. Not even Cinna, who's known Baku for decades, has a better relationship with the boss than me.

"Are you sure about this?" I asked, wishing I didn't really have to go.

"Yeah, don't worry. We'll be outta here soon, too. Here, take this map. It's gonna be a long trip back to Lindblum."

"Alright," I said, reluctantly. "I'll see you later."

"I'm countin' on you!"

Hmph. As always.

And so there I was, yet again, on a mission to keep the retarded cousin of the group out of trouble. Good 'ol Blank here to save the day. _Again_. Why am I always helping this kid?

Trudging through the forest was no easy feat and my good daggers were in a kit all the way in Lindblum forcing me to make my way with a mere Mage Master. That's about as useful as drinking a pint upside down with your eyes closed. It just doesn't work. Trust me, I've tried.

I finally found the skirt chaser at the end of the line, quite literally.

"Whew, looks like I made it here just in time," I grinned.

I wasn't entirely fond of nature and, let me tell you, if I didn't like flowers before, I sure as hell don't like them as one's trying to suck the life force out of me. New rule. Never buying flowers for Ruby again. _Ever_.

The damn thing finally went down, with yours truly delivering the last blow, and we managed to find a small amount of time to celebrate before the whole forest started to shake.

"Oh, man. What now?" I grumbled.

Piece of advice. When a bunch of flowers come to life and start chasing you, there might be a problem. First there were two, then there were three. I wasn't going to have us stand around and wait for six more to show up.

"What are you waiting for?!" I screamed at everyone. "Go!"

I followed the group in the rear with the damn roots at our tail. I wasn't necessarily worried for my life, but I'd have liked to have left with my limbs attached to my body. Zidane was in front of me, anxiously looking around. Once the group got a fair distance ahead of us, he stopped for a bit and looked behind.

"What?" I asked, wondering why the hell he would stop in the middle of a chase.

"The entire forest is coming after us…" he said. My eyes felt so heavy all of a sudden. "Blank…take care of everyone." And then he ran off.

What the hell did he mean by that?

Thirty seconds later, I figured out _exactly_ what he meant.

I was shocked. Literally all I could do was stand there as I recapped the entire scene in my head, Zidane pushing me out of the way, getting trapped by the monster instead of me and screaming for me to keep going. To not stop and help him.

And I didn't. I ran, like the selfish being I was. I ran until I reached the clearing, joining the remaining three just before the forest hardened shut.

"God damnit!" I screamed. I fell to my knees, my head hitting the petrified trees hard, banging on them with my fists and screaming as loud as I could.

My head flashbacked to the first time I'd ever met the kid. I was just a few years older than him, and hadn't even been with the Tantalus group for a year. I hadn't even built a reputation. It was raining that day in Lindblum. Zidane was sickly thin and dressed in rags, his hair soaked. I remember him burrowing as far into a corner as he could get, squinting every time the rain would hit his face. I felt for him that day and even pointed Baku's attention towards him.

 _"We can hardly feed our own, kid,"_ he told me.

I didn't listen. Later that night, I'd snuck out and went up to the kid. He cowered at the sight of me. I suppose with my cuts and stitches I did look quite terrifying. But I pulled out a loaf of bread and, like I was luring a duck, I placed one piece of bread on the ground and backed away. Zidane crawled forward and devoured it, then looked at me expectantly.

I placed another on the ground and backed away. Then again, another, and again until I had lured him into the safety of our hideout.

Baku was standing at the door waiting for me as I did so. His arms were folded and his eyebrows furrowed…but then they softened.

 _"Alright,"_ he grumbled. He held his hand down for Zidane, who slowly grasped it. _"You got a name, boy?"_

Zidane…

How could he have done that?

And what the hell was I supposed to do now?

As the day grew dark, the knight started to set up camp. Vivi worked on starting a fire while Steiner tended to the Princess and I spent the entire time staring at the petrified wall a fair distance away from the fire pit, mumbling obscenities at just about any God that would listen.

"Have you nothing to say, you filth?!" I heard in the background. I declined to answer, pretending like I hadn't heard him. This didn't concern him in the slightest.

I didn't care about any of these people. Even Vivi, who didn't even ask for this quest, I held no moral obligation to. Hell, I didn't ask for this quest either. I had one mission and one mission, alone—to get Zidane out safely. A mission, in which, I'd failed and now Zidane would forever be encased in stone in the depths of the worst forest to cross the planet.

"Oh." It came from a feminine voice and all of a sudden the knight forgot that I was even there.

"P-Princess!"

"…Steiner?"

"H-how did we survive?" she quietly asked.

"It is my sworn duty to protect you at any cost!"

I rolled my eyes, but said nothing. If not for Zidane's stupid hormones and skill, we wouldn't be standing here right now. The huge gap of knowledge between the higher and lower class always baffled me. Sure, they may be well educated, but I'd never known anyone to grow up with such ignorance on my end of the short stick.

It must be exhausting.

"None of this would've happened if you and your band hadn't abducted the princess!" he suddenly yelled. A this, I turned around.

"I'm sorry, this is all my fault, now? We wouldn't be _sitting here_ if it weren't for me and _my band,_ " I retorted.

"How dare you claim you rescued her! When we get back to Alexandria, I will personally see to it that-"

"Oh, I do would _love_ to see you try, fat man."

"H-how d-dare y-"

"Steiner-" she interrupted. "I left the castle of my own will."

This man knew nothing of suffering. The colors of rust on his armor suggested that he'd never seen a real war or battle in his entire life and his weaponry had just stood there as a symbol – not for an acknowledgment of any power that he hypothetically possessed. The weapon is only as strong as its master.

This sprouted an argument with the pair so I stood up and made my way back towards the wall. This little spat was of little interest to me. All I could think about was the gang. If there was any way to save Zidane…if the rest of the group made it out before the forest got petrified…were they alive….was I alone…again?

I couldn't sleep and instead volunteered to be on guard duty. After a decent amount of arguing, we'd all agreed to stay together for the time being. It didn't make much sense to split up, after all, with all the monsters lurking in the mist.

I'd have been fine on my own, I think, but I made a promise to a friend.

"I'm so very sorry," I heard and saw Garnet standing next to me. She was slightly withdrawn, carefully cautious. As she should be. For everything that happened, I had every right to kill her. Every desire. I was not as noble as Zidane though for his petrified sake I suppose I could try to be. I squinted a bit, sizing up the wall, and sighed.

"He's an idiot."

"He was very brave," she insisted, which made me scowl. She spoke of him as if he were gone already. He wasn't dead. I wouldn't accept that. "He saved your life."

"Well, I didn't ask to be saved," I snapped. "My job was to protect _him_ , not you…and I failed."

It sounded worse than I'd meant it to. Thieves come first. Always. It's just how I was raised. Zidane was my best friend…and that should always come first. And now he's gone…and for what? A girl. It didn't make any sense.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "It is my fault he got put in that situation. If I hadn't insisted you take me. none of this would've happened."

"We were going to kidnap you anyway," Blank murmured. "At least we didn't fail at that."

The princess was silent.

"Look, the last thing he told me was to take care of you guys…and I will," he told her. "I will get you to Lindblum. I promise."

For a moment, she and I shared a sympathetic glance. While I doubted we would ever understand each other, she was less hostile than her pompous bodyguard. It wasn't much, but it was enough. For now.

"Thank you," she gracefully replied. "I think I'm going to retire."

You could barely tell it was morning six hours later as the sun barely showed through the mist. The only evidence of daytime would be that you could see five feet away from you. People underestimate the power of the mist. It is everywhere.

* * *

While fairly good at navigation and with a map in hand, I was not a compass nor did I possess one. The only way to measure exactly where we were was to get as high up as they possibly could so they could pinpoint a direction. I only knew one route to merit such a reward, though I was reluctant to suggest it. Of course, it wasn't the cavern itself that worried me but what laid beyond that.

"We're looking for a cavern," he told them. "I've been there before. It's not warm, though."

After tracing the way around the mountain from the forest, we finally found it. The blue entrance, completely encased in ice. Luckily we had a mage or we probably wouldn't even be able to open the damn door.

"You're hardly dressed for the temperature," the Princess noted as the door opened.

"Well I wasn't exactly expecting to trudge through the cavern of death this morning," I scoffed. She was silent. "Come on, we need to get through before dark…unless you'd rather walk through blind as a bat."

So, we went through the freezing city slowly. Not because it was difficult to make the trek up but because it was mind-numbingly freezing. Even the brave knight, who claimed to fear nothing and was heavily coated, was shivering the entire time. Of course, the only one to complain was Vivi.

It wasn't until we finally reached the top had I encountered a storm unlike any in my life. I'd never seen anything like it before.

The blizzard was almost as bad as the mist except the wind was moving with such revenge that one could not open their eyes without a hailstone cracking into them. I knew we were towards the top of the cavern but could barely see. If my memory served right, we'd have to climb at some point.

Just how exactly was I supposed to get these idiots up to the summit in this blizzard?

So help me, Gods, when I get up there, I'm gonna kick some ass.

First went Vivi.

 _Thud._

Then Steiner and the Princess.

 _Thud-d-d-d_

I jumped down into the enclave and kicked the knight, mumbling obscenities. If I could get his sorry ass up, then maybe we could carry the other two out of the cave…but the old knight didn't budge.

I'm not gonna lie; there was a solid second where a thought popped into my head. It was so very tempting to just up and leave them. After all, there was literally nothing I could do and no one around to help for miles. It wouldn't be difficult to make it on my own, especially without waiting for her Highness duncing her way up the cliffs. Clearly, she hadn't been anywhere outside the comforts of her own castle and it showed. A Lady would never have to know hardships a day in her life.

Looking down at the three cripples in the snow, I closed my eyes and cursed. I'd made a promise. Damn monkey boy would be livid if he learned that I'd abandoned them the first chance I got.

So I was at a crossroads. Unfortunately, I didn't really have enough time to form a decision.

I felt my eyes go heavy with the blizzard and I, too, fell victim to its spell. My eyes closed and my feet caved in, falling right beside the princess.

Helpless.

* * *

It was the worst hangover of my life; at least it felt like it. Slipping in and out of consciousness, I got the strongest feeling of déjà vu. A feeling I had never been completely comfortable with.

I'd been under this spell before.

I've heard that bell before.

 _Ding ding._

I forced my eyes to open, fighting through a massive headache, and saw a massive robed figure in front of me, cowering over the princess. I opened my mouth to scream but there came no words. It was a miracle that I even managed to get on my two feet.

"W-wha-"

I started coughing uncontrollably and the figure turned around. Stunned by his appearance I fell backward into the snow, my head spinning until I finally focused my gaze again. It looked exactly like Vivi…only if Vivi had aged a generous amount and sold his soul to the demons below. I'd never seen anything like it before in my life and I was no hero. I had no courage.

I was terrified.

"Well, well, well," the figure sneered. "You're not dead yet."

Before I could say a word, the mage thrust a magic spell sending me flying backwards into the very far back wall. I groaned in pain as I slowly watched the mage throw the Princess onto his back. My teeth grinded and I forced myself back up.

"Put her down," I insisted.

Another magic spell hit me straight in the chest and I was knocked down again. This time I did not get back up, not because I couldn't, but because it was all in my strategy. With the princess tossed over his shoulder, he snickered at my helpless body on the floor and stepped over me with such pride. Like he'd achieved something. As if he'd won.

Literally fifteen seconds later, the mage collapsed onto the floor, the princess rolling down the hill beside him. Something that this new group had little knowledge of was during my youth I spent a fairly decent amount of time as an alchemist. Not just creating potions and cures for injuries but for offensive reasons as well. One swipe of a blade soaked in paralysis poison was enough to get you flat on your face. It was all I needed.

I had just enough energy in me to slice the tip of my dagger into the chest of the devil. Traces of blue blood melted onto the snow beside his body and, as quick as the mage slipped into unconsciousness, the soft remaining lull of the blizzard and the multiple blows set my energy level to zero and I fell asleep right along with him.

It was calm…for a while.

"Blank?" I heard.

Slowly opening my eyes, I saw Vivi and Dagger on their knees next to me and Steiner impatiently standing guard beside them with his arms crossed. I looked beside me and the mage I had slain was nowhere to be found. Was it all a part of my imagination?

"Are you okay?" the young mage asked.

I shook my head a bit and accepted Dagger's hand in aiding me up, coughing and staggering a bit before finally retaining balance.

"Fine," I managed. "Just a bit confused is all."

"That was an interesting storm," Vivi noted.

"Indeed," said the knight.

We made our way up the cliffs to the exit of the cavern, finally. The sight of daylight was rejuvenating and refreshing. I could feel the oxygen in my throat as I breathed in anxiously. The mist had no presence here and nothing could quite beat the view of the mountains on a bright, sunny morning.

"I say we get as far away from here as we possibly can. What say we-" Blank started.

"Is that a village down there?" Princess Garnet said, interrupting them.

Looking towards the direction in which she was pointing, I sighed. Yes, it was a village. But there was no way in hell I was ever going back to that hell hole.

"Yes…that would be Dali," I said.

"It looks cozy," Vivi smiled. The kid crossed his arms and stared at the village, longingly. It is only natural for a child wanting to explore. He reminded me a little bit of myself. Those were my exact words upon first seeing the village.

"Looks can be deceiving kid," I replied.

"Sounds as if you've been there?" Garnet asked. I did not reply. "You seem to lead such an adventurous life. I wish I had the opportunity for such stamina and exploration."

"Believe me when I say you're not missing much. You're better off far, far away from that place."

"Well, if not there, then where are we going?"

I turned around and pointed in the direct opposite direction of Dali past some mountains that curved in a bit. It wasn't the greatest place in the world but it was much safer than an outline village that shared less-than-pleasant memories. Not to mention, I didn't trust a single damn soul living there.

"There. Treno. I assume you know it given half the population left to attend your birthday celebration," I said, almost begrudgingly.

"Half the population of Treno is nobles," the knight noted as if this was a useful fact that is unknown to many.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious, I never would have known that otherwise," I retorted. "But, _Princess,_ we can't go around calling you by Garnet, obviously. Half the population of Treno is, unfortunately, nobles and have a significant response to your formal title. Or would you like to be taken back to your malevolent queen?"

"Malevolent?! How _dare_ you?!" the knight bellowed. Blank only laughed.

"Enough, Steiner," the Princess insisted before turning to Blank. "Well, then, what should I be called? What about your weapon? What was the name of that, again?"

Blinking a few times, I unsheathed it and flipped it over a few times. "You really don't know what a Dagger is?" I asked. Before responding, she took it from me and began to play with it despite my horrified expression of me pleading with her not to.

"I always wanted to take up sword fighting," she said.

"Well, with your impressive vernacular knowledge, I'm sure you would've been a natural at the sport," I said, sarcastically. No one laughed. I miss Marcus.

"How about the name Dagger?" she suddenly suggested, looking at everyone for approval. Vivi smiled, insisting it was a great name while Steiner only admitted he'd still probably call her the Princess, given his not-so-hidden desire to bring her home to the castle. It seemed that the opinion she most valued was mine.

"That's a dumb name," I laughed. Garnet was speechless. "Anyone talking to you can tell that it's fake. No one names their child that; that just proves you have something to hide. It's suspicious. Besides, I'm not gonna call you that."

Her mouth was half open as she listened to me prove my point while the entire group remained silent. Not even the knight thought of an insult.

"Fine, what name do _you_ suggest?" she asked, rather angrily.

"Margo," I replied. "It's my sister's name."

"You have a sister?" she smiled. "Where is she now?"

I didn't look at her and I felt my breath get heavy. I hadn't thought about her in a long time...I'm not even sure what became of her after the great fire.

"I don't know," I said uncomfortably. "It's been a while."

"I see…" she said, quietly. "Why didn't you bring that name up first?"

"Eh, I wanted to see what kind of dumb name you came up with. Can't wait to see the name of your first born child. I _dare_ you to name him Ogre," I laughed.

"Ogre?"

I paused, looking at her. "Yeah, you would've been a great swordsman."

"Swordswoman," she corrected.

"Whatever."


	2. Chapter 2

I had a new surge of inspiration. Was stuck on where I wanted to go with this story but I'm re-inspired again. haha.

* * *

 **Out Of The Frying Pan**

* * *

We agreed on Treno, the mid-life crisis following grudgingly behind. I found it entertaining, nonetheless. There was nothing he could do. No rules he could enforce.

"The gates are closed unless you have a Gate Pass; how do you intend on acquiring passage?" the knight asked.

"I'm very resourceful," I murmured, rummaging through my pack and retrieving a bronze rectangular ticket with the words Gate Pass scribed on it in capital letters. Of course, it wasn't entirely legit. I had forged tickets like this all the time, including tickets to certain plays to get more coin in my pocket. I made a mental note to apologize to Vivi later as I'm pretty sure it was my ticket the little guy purchased.

It's a beast eat beast world out there.

"It lacks the borderline symbol. They'll never let us pass," Steiner insisted.

"Not if you keep screaming it's a fake, they won't. Keep your mouth shut, bozo," I growled. "You're alive because of me; show a little gratitude, yeah?"

"Why you little ingrate; once we get back to the castle, I will have you-"

"Steiner, please!" Garnet/Margo said, her hands on her hips.

I grinned a little as Steiner withdrew his tantrum like a five-year-old boy being denied candy at the store.

"Ready?" I asked everyone.

The fake passed. These village folk never were that bright and never used any kind of system to test if tickets were fake or not. Really a flawed system, if you ask me.

Once we crossed the bridge over to the field, I could see Treno in the far distance and sighed a bit. It had been a good long while since I'd visited the city that never slept. I vaguely wondered if anyone there would remember me.

Hopefully not. I had quite a fowl reputation at the city of slums.

"Are you all right?" the Princess asked.

"Fine," I murmured. "Just…try not to come here normally, that's all."

"How are we going to get to Lindblum from here?" Vivi asked.

"I already told you," I grinned. "I'm very resourceful."

We were greeted by two guards sleeping on the job. I was less than impressed. Arms folded, I kicked the shin of one of the guards who suddenly stumbled and screamed, immediately standing up with a salute.

"W-Welcome to the City of Treno!" he stuttered.

"And they say this city never sleeps," I murmured, trudging through the main gate and looking upon the dazzling overlook. I remember as a child being so taken with this city. So entranced and full of hope. It was my home, and this place seemed like a city of opportunities.

Too bad life had other plans.

"Do you see what kind of influence this street rat is placing on you, Princess?" I heard behind me and rolled my eyes. "I implore you, please return to the castle with me."

"I said enough, Steiner!" she scolded.

They continued to argue in which I mostly muffled their conversation out in my head, thinking. In this whole city, there had to be something here that could cure Zidane. There just had to be.

My thoughts were interrupted by a tug on my leg.

"S-sir?" It was Vivi.

"Woah, Sir?" I grinned. "Call me Blank."

"…Blank."

"Yeah, kid?"

"I'm kinda tired."

I smiled a bit, looking back at the two royal figures arguing and only shook his head a bit.

"Hey," I yelled. They continued to argue. "Hey freaks!" I shouted again. "Shut the hell up."

"How dare you speak to royalty in such manner?" he exclaimed.

"Yeah, you're a real royal pain in my-"

"Please," the Princess begged.

"Look, whatever. Let's just get some rest, okay? There's an inn just over that bridge."

Of course, the inn I remembered that was inexpensive was also in the shadiest part of town. No rest for the wicked, that's for damn sure. Kids with saw-dusted faces ran all over while shirtless men stood cowering in corners, watching every move the group made.

We weren't exactly a likely pairing. A thief, a mage, a princess, and a knight. Sounds as if we were all supposed to be walking into a bar somewhere.

"Two rooms," I growled at the innkeeper, tossing some coin in her direction.

It would've been an unmemorable moment had the lady behind the front desk not stared at me oddly. In Alexandria, I reckon I should've been used to it. My kind weren't exactly well received. But in Treno, why, we were as common as mice in a run-down building.

"Shake your head, ma'am, your eyes are stuck," I growled and at this she jumped slightly. Her hands trembled as she grabbed two room keys and placed them on the table for me to grab, then retreated into the back room.

"You common folk have no manners in the slightest, do you?" the knight growled.

"And I bet you've never known a day of hardship in your life to even understand what it takes to spend a day as 'common folk'," I murmured. "Come on. Fatty, you're with me. Just in case you try and pull anything."

The four of us parted into two separate rooms. Garnet and Vivi. Blank and Steiner. I figured everything should be okay. No one would be looking for her here. And even if they were, Steiner and I were just next door. We could protect her. I didn't much care to spend the night in the room with her to keep watch and had a feeling Steiner wouldn't go for that anyway.

He huffed and heaved a bit when I forced him into the room opposite her but there was no way I was going to let that knight in with the princess. Not with his 'I'm going to take you back to the castle' nonsense.

Unfortunately, that didn't end up being the problem.

There was a loud ruckus in the middle of the night as two guards of Treno knocked our door down and, before I could even budge, they had me thrown up against a wall and handcuffed behind my back.

"Blank of the current Tantalus Theatre Troupe, you are hereby under arrest for the murder of Margaret Wormwood. You have the right to remain silent."

Steiner was thrilled.

"I knew you were not to be trusted! Mark my words, by daylight, the Princess will be returned to the castle where she belongs and _you_ will be hanged for all your crimes. Then the world will finally be done with you."

"Oh, why don't you just shut up?" I growled.

As they shoved me out of the inn with Steiner bellowing in the background, I saw Vivi and the Princess come to the door. Both of them looked like lost little puppy dogs.

"Blank, what's going on!?" she asked. "What do we do!?"

"Go to the tower!" was all I managed to scream before being dragged out of earshot.

I knew this building far too well. Below was a cage filled with whatever creature the mayor deemed worthy. It held many purposes but one of its main uses was to guard the cells of Treno. Probably unsurprising, but the amount of criminals encased in Treno's dungeons exceeded the amount of nobles that were housed here.

It was called the Vault as it was so impenetrable and well protected. No one ever escaped…and if they did, they'd be eaten alive by the corrupted mayor's pet.

There were no trials. No bail. No releases. You were arrested…and that was it.

I was escorted down a spiraling, concrete staircase and down to the cells where dozens upon dozens of past offenders were kept for their crimes. Some crimes such as petty theft had been incarcerated for over 15 years.

Treno had no tolerance for injustice as their ratio of thieves to nobles exceeded ten to one.

After being thrown into the cell, I sulked in the corner, pondering what to do next. Was the Princess okay? Was the knight taking her back as I sat here? And just what was it that she was trying to escape from, anyway? I'd never know now.

There was a sudden clanging on my cell bars, and when I looked up, I saw what appeared to be an officer standing before me. The figure stood with brown, baggy pants, a black and white striped shirt, and a slightly-oversized navy uniform. It would have seemed to have been an officers uniform had it not a hood that covered the figure's eyes. By rules, you were required to stand upon the appearance of an officer. It was part of procedure; therefore, I stood up. Cautiously.

"Well, well, well," the officer smirked. "Look who it is."

The officer reached up and withdrew her light navy hood revealing a pair of deep brown eyes along with a light brown, boyish haircut. Unlike the usual soldier who held a sword in their hand, this soldier held a thick, wooden crossbow with bolts held in a sheath slung behind her back.

"Thyra Mercer," I said with a sigh. "I should have known."

"I thought I warned you never to come back to this town."

"Well, sometimes I just can't help myself. Remember?" My hands rested on the bars of the cell as I shot her a flirtatious smile.

"I do," the woman smirked. "Doesn't mean I don't like to watch you squirm."

Mercer reached through the bars and grabbed my neck, knocking my head against the bars hard. And then she laughed.

"It's good to see you again, Flip," she smirked.

"You too," I laughed.

Flip. It had been a hot minute since anyone'd called me that. I died with that name, quite literally, and cut out nearly everyone in my life that ever knew me under that identity. Philip Wormwood…my god given name. It had been so long.

Mercer looked around and pulled out a set of keys, inserting one of them into the lock and opening up the door, quickly. She grabbed me by my collar, pulling me out of the cell and promptly shut it again, locking the cell door.

"We don't have much time," Mercer said. "I shot the main guard with a tranquilizer but they rotate shifts every thirty minutes. You got a safe place?"

"The tower," I mumbled. Assuming they were still there. Treno really wasn't that far from Alexandria. Steiner could be taking the princess back through South Gate as we were standing here.

Still armed with her crossbow, Mercer led the way back through the gray, concrete spiral staircase. She only stopped to open up a concrete chest that held my previous belongings in it and shoved them into my arms, standing guard as I re-clothed myself with what very little pieces of clothing I'd owned. Along with my weapons and potions, of course.

It's hard to describe Mercer. Even after having known her since I was a child, I can't say I ever knew her very well. Mercer never much cared for companions, being very much a lone wolf; however, we had always found solace in one another's company. We are very similar in that manner.

We hate most people.

Instead of traveling up the staircase, Mercer led me through a trap entrance that led to the waters below. It was where the guards dumped the waste of the prisoners and was, essentially, a toilet. However, you gotta do what you gotta do.

So Mercer and I jumped.

Through the waste-filled sewer, Mercer and I swam to a platform where a small boat was docked. It had a large red M with a horizontal line crossed through it that I'd found to be Mercer's symbol for her conquests. Anytime she'd successfully stolen from a house or even laid to rest anywhere, that symbol was somewhere in the vicinity.

"You never were much of a sailor," she said, smiling as I struggled to paddle the boat forward.

"Never was much of anything back then."

"You're in theatre now?" she asked. I looked up at her, smiling a bit. I'd never told her that. "I saw you from a rooftop in the noble's village a few years back. You were good."

"It's just a cover," I told her, plainly. "How 'bout you? What do you market as these days?"

Mercer shrugged, thinking on this as we continued to paddle beneath the city of Treno.

"I'm a consulting collector," she said, rather proudly. "I find important things for important people."

"That pay well?" I asked her, slightly skeptical. While Mercer had always found a way to make her own path, being paid to be a thief didn't seem a very likely scenario.

"It's gotten better lately. Have this fancy new client who's too pretty to get his hands dirty. He's grown quite fond of me."

I shot her a look. Back in the old days, Mercer and I would do practically anything to make money. However, there was a low that neither of us would ever cross. We weren't unattractive people and I'd started to wonder if she'd lowered her business standards.

"I don't sleep where I eat, Flip," she said instantly, almost sounding offended by even the idea of the insinuation.

We went the rest of the boat ride in near silence until we docked at the destination that I'd hoped the team would be at. It was an astronomy tower that overlooked the city and, the last time I'd visited, it had been abandoned. Rumor has it there used to be a mad scientist that lived in the tallest room and that he'd successfully brought a dead person back to life.

As children, we never ventured there.

As an adult, I realized the rumor was horse shit.

"Listen," I whispered, grabbing Mercer's shoulder a bit before heading up. "Don't call me Flip."

"Why?" she asked stupidly.

"Because I don't go by that anymore," I told her, plainly. Mercer smirked, shaking her head.

"Right," she mocked. "You're the 'blank' canvas now."

"It prompts too many questions, Mercer," I explained. "I'm only taking them to Lindblum."

Mercer only smiled. She understood, I know she did. People like us didn't like justifying our status. We didn't talk about the past because it was wasted energy. All we could do was move forward.

"Mind if I tag along, _Blank_?" she asked, placing a playful emphasis on the 2alias. "The Festival of the Hunt is coming up. You know I'd never decline the opportunity to turn Gil into more Gil."

There were many a fool that would compete in the Festival of the Hunt. Those stupid enough to believe their grand fortune was to be made by competition, the real benefactors of the game spent their time in a pub, gambling on the outcome. It was like a chocobo race and, since chocobos seem to have been dying off lately, this was the best we gamblers got.

In fact, Mercer was the one that took me to my first Festival of the Hunt. We crashed and burn, betting on some stupid red mage that lost by over 100 points. But we were young and stupid then.

I wasn't entirely keen on letting yet another member join the group. Not that I didn't trust Mercer; in fact, she used to be one of the people I most trusted. However, carrying a princess around, it put me more than a little on edge.

As a thief, I don't like drawing attention to myself. The princess negates that option.

"Fine," I grumbled. "But don't ask any questions."

"Why can't I ask any questions?" she asked.

"That's a question," I stared blankly at her and she simply shrugged.

After that, we made our way to the top of the tower where, hopefully, the princess and her two bodyguards awaited. A large wooden door stood at the very top and, after jiggling the handle, I'd realized that it was locked.

"Guys?" I asked, hopeful. Mercer leaned against the stone wall beside the door, biting her nails.

I knocked hard. Multiple times.

"Vivi. Margo, you here?"

"Margo?" Mercer whispered, looking at me. I shook my head quickly. Different Margo. Mercer had known her too.

"Blank?" a small voice said from the other side.

Thank god.

The door opened to reveal the tiny little black mage. We entered the room quickly, shutting the door behind us and locking again. Looking around, I saw Margo, the princess, sitting on a bed with her hands in her lap. Steiner was sitting on a barrel with his arms folded, refusing to make my eye contact, while Vivi stood by my side, looking back and forth between the three of us.

And there was a man on the second floor, pacing on a platform back and forth.

"Who the hell is that?" I asked, accusingly.

At this, Margo stood up.

"This is Doctor Tot. He was one of my teachers at the castle." I reached for the hilt of my sword and Margo approached me, holding my arm down. "He's friendly," she assured. "And frankly he shares the same concerns over mother as I do."

She glanced over at Steiner at this comment with her hands on her hips, as if daring him to say anything. He didn't.

"I assure you, Master Blank, you have my utmost confidentiality and I have the same desire to assure a safe travel to Lindblum as you do," the professor said. Hesitantly, I let go of the hilt of my dagger; however, I never forgot its presence. One of the faults of royalty – they trust too easily.

It took them a hot minute before they all noticed Mercer. She remained leaning against the stone wall near the door, surveying everyone, and Margo hesitantly looked at her.

"Who is this young...person," she said, as if hesitant to claim her gender. It's true, Mercer did defy the norms of most female fashion etiquette. It's what I liked most about her.

"I'm a girl, thank you," Mercer scoffed. Margo hesitantly nodded, still trying to feign that phony royal politeness. You can't say they don't try.

"Another brigand, I assume," Steiner suddenly said, standing up with his arms still folded. "Yet another disgrace to tarnish the Queen's reputation."

"You work for the Queen?" Mercer retorted. "I could tell you some stories about that woman that would rust the rest of that armor for you."

"How dare you-"

"That's enough!" I interjected, placing a hand on Mercer and pulling her away from the knight. "This is my friend, Thyra Mercer. She helped me escape from jail."

Steiner scoffed.

"Murderer," he said. "You should be hanged for your crimes."

"Murder?" Margo suddenly asked.

I rolled my eyes.

"I'm not a murderer," I said calmly but there was quite a commotion of dialogue now. Mercer was sitting there smirking, taking in all the chaos.

"Our justice system is full proof. If the nobles of Treno claim you to be a murderer, then we should _all_ be taking him to the authorities right now!" Steiner yelled.

"Surely there must be an explanation," Margo argued.

"The law condemns him!"

I really didn't want to get into it. It was a long story and, from the look of it, it didn't appear that big, fatty McKnight was going to budge from his stance. Giving a small look over to Mercer, I nodded, and Mercer gave the biggest smile I'd seen on her yet.

Fumbling through her satchel, Mercer pulled out a small dart and put it into a small hatch on her crossbow. The big knight didn't even seem to notice as Mercer pointed her crossbow at him and hit him in the cheek with a tiny, tiny dart. A few seconds later, the knight collapsed onto the ground and I sighed, relieved, taking a seat on a chair close by.

Margo, Vivi, and Tot, however, looked rather shocked.

"What on earth are you doing?" Doctor Tot exclaimed.

"It's a small tranquilizer," I explained. "He'll be back up again in two hours."

Mercer and I walked over to him and picked him up from his arms and legs. He was, unsurprisingly, heavy; however, we managed to, at the very least, lay him on a couch nearby where he fell. Mercer looked satisfied with herself and even took to kicking parts of his armor just for good measure.

"You think he's fat because of the armor or the blacksmith had to design it special?"

The whole group gave her a blank, lifeless stare as I stood there trying to contain my laughter. I truly did miss her candid humor. If nothing else was said, you would always know where you stood with Mercer. She didn't care enough to lie.

"Everyone, this is…an old friend." I said with crossed arms, leaning my head in her direction. Mercer repositioned her crossbow and gave a light-hearted salute.

"Old associate," she quickly corrected, nudging me in the side playfully. "Let's not get too sentimental here."

Without requesting permission, Mercer began to idly go through Doctor's Tot's food pantry. She casually grabbed a green apple and sprawled out along one of the wooden chairs nearby. Margo sat staring at her hesitantly but clearly wanted to remain polite and held her tongue.

"While I hate to be the bearer of harsh truths, may I remind those of you that are conscious that Master Blank, here, is currently a fugitive of Treno law. It would be unwise to stay in Treno very much longer."

"To be fair, we're _all_ fugitives now, for aiding and abetting," Mercer said, smirking. She definitely enjoyed the stigma of being a criminal.

"What are our options?" Margo asked, impatiently.

Her gaze was directed towards me. As if I was the one with the master plan to get us out of this mess. Truthfully, I hadn't the faintest idea.

"Well, normally, I'd say we could try our luck at South Gate but I'm not sure that's safe. You're too recognizable there; Summit Station is staffed with Alexandria residents and even has some of their guards borrowed for security."

"Are there any airships that travel from Treno, Doctor Tot?" Margo asked.

Doctor Tot hesitated.

"A few. But a lot of our materials are hand-crafted here and our crops crated over from Dali. There is little need for transport, apart from the few royals that travel."

"What about thieves?" I suddenly asked. I saw Mercer smirk.

"I beg your pardon?" Doctor Tot asked.

"The Prima Vista isn't the only bandit aircraft on the Mist Continent," I explained, mostly thinking out loud. "Mercer, do you still keep in touch with Gilgamesh?"

Mercer's smirk got wider. Gilgamesh, the famous pickpocket, gathered his start in Treno. I even knew him as a young boy. He had been sweet on Mercer in his youth and she'd rejected him multiple times. Guy would do anything for her.

The more unfortunate citizens of Gaia are mostly familiar with him as the owner of Blackjack, the traveling casino. It was a shoddy little aircraft; but it got the job done. Shame to say, I've lost many a penny on that aircraft.

"Word came around Blackjack's parked in Treno again. You're lucky Gil owes me a favor."

"Good," I said. "Find him."

"Who is this Blackjack?" Margo asked.

"Not who," Mercer corrected. "What."


End file.
